Device for feeding wire on to a bobbin

ABSTRACT

A device for the continuous feeding of wire onto a bobbin comprising a wire tensioning device including a capstan on which is secured a storage device of which the axis thereof common with the tensioning device is inclined to the horizontal, an antiballooning cone partially surrounding the free extremity of the storage device, a controllable brake for the wire disposed between the said cone and a bobbin frame which frame drives the bobbin to be loaded.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Jean Godderidge l 1 Boulevard Henri Barbusse, 78 Houilles, France [21 1 App]. N 0. 788,600

[22] Filed Jan. 2, 1969 [45] Patented Mar. 16, 1971 [32] Priority Feb. 21, 1968 [33] France [54] DEVICE FOR FEEDING WIRE ON TO A BOBBIN 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 242/25 [51] Int. CL... B65h 54/00 [50] Field of Search 242/25, 45

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,214,333 9/1940 Walsh et all 242/25X 2,803,412 8/1957 Waslor 242/25 3,061,229 10/1962 Crum 242/83 3,093,339 6/1963 Godderidge 242/82 Primary ExaminerNathan L. Mintz Attorney-Steinberg & Blake ABSTRACT: A device for the continuous feeding of wire onto a bobbin comprising a wire tensioning device including a capstan on which is secured a storage device of which the axis thereof common with the tensioning device is inclined to the horizontal, an antiballooning cone partially surrounding the free extremity of the storage device, a controllable brake for the wire disposed between the said cone and a bobbin frame which frame drives the bobbin to be loaded.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to a device for the continuous feeding of wire onto a bobbin.

2. Description of the Prior Art In order to effect continuous feeding, that is to say replenishing of bobbins one after the other without either stopping or slowing down the speed of the wire, in general wire is caused to pass from a full bobbin onto the drum of an empty bobbin arranged side to side. This practice requires a very fine adjustment of the speeds of rotation of the bobbins. In effect, at constant linear velocity, the velocity of rotation varies inversely with the radius of winding of the wire, which varies constantly as a function of the loading.

When the wire is relatively strong, the operation is substantially simplified although a risk is involved. However, in order to operate with a thin and fragile wire, there exists at the present time, no satisfactory method.

In the particular case of an assembly including a wire drawing machine, heat-treatment equipment and an extruder, the continuous feed has the following advantages:

The facility of replenishing bobbins without stopping the wire-drawing machine constitutes a gain in time which is particularly useful because restarting of a wire drawing machine is always a delicate operation giving rise to a risk of breakage.

When the wire making machine is equipped with a device allowing for continuous reheating of cold-drawn wire by successive contractions of cross section, this device will come into operation only after the starting of the wire drawing machine, so that a certain length of cold-drawn wire must necessarily be wound onto the bobbin before each starting operation.

Cold drawing is unsuited for operations to which the wire is finally subjected. The continuous feed permits, after starting of the wire drawing machine, to exclusively receive wire received on the bobbins. The continuous feed device in accordance with the invention allows the complete elimination of the cold drawn wire, even at the time of starting of the wire drawing machine.

Finally, the stoppage and the restarting of the wire passing through an extruder and a long and delicate operation gives rise to a risk of breakage and a substantial loss of plastics insulating material and of wire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION in accordance with the invention, the device for wire feeding comprises in combination a wire tensioning device, including a capstan on which is secured a storage device of which the common axis with that of the tensioning device is inclined to the horizontal, a cone partially surrounding the storage device for preventing ballooning at the free extremity of the storage device, a controllable brake arranged to act on the wire and disposed between the said cone and a. bobbin frame said frame serving to drive the receiving bobbin by means of a motor of which the speed is controlled by a control device of which detection members cooperate with the wire wound on the storage means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING An embodiment of a wire feeding device in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in

which:

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The continuous feed device in accordance with the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises a tensioning device 1 described in US. Pat. No. 3,093,339, and including a capstan 2, about which the wire 3 is wound in several turns by a rotary head, the said turns 4 being successively supplied to a storage means 5, by means not shown in the drawing.

The capstan 2 is rotated by means of a motor 6, through the intermediary of a transmission belt 7, of leather or other material, both the motor 6 and the tensioning device 1 being mounted on a structure 8.

The storage device 5, which is fast for rotation with the capstan 2, is constituted by a metal cylinder terminated at its free end, i.e. remote from the capstan 2, by an enlargement 9 of frustoconical form, the enlargement serving to prevent the turns from inadvertently coming off the storage device.

The tensioning device I and the storage device 5 are inclined to the horizontal, in order to enable the turns 4to move along the storage device.

The capstan 2 and the storage device 5 rotate at a very slow speed in relation to the speed of the rotary head in order to cause an accumulation of turns by differential movement towards the enlargement 9 of the storage device. Around the free extremity of the enlargement 9 of the storage device 5 an antiballooning cone 10 is provided which is mounted by a foot 11 on a support, the cone serving to limit the ballooning of the wire, produced during the unwinding of the turn 40 from the storage device. The cone 10 has at its exit opening a wire guide 12 which effects the centering and the guiding of the wire 3. Following the cone 10 there is provided a braking roller or other member 13 over which the wire passes and which ensures constant tension of the latter before being fed on to a bobbin frame 14.

This bobbin frame 14 supports and drives a receiving bobbin 15, and is driven by a variable speed motor 20 in order to allow take up of length variation of the wire stored on the storage device, during the exchange of the bobbin.

Adjacent to the storage device 5, two light sources 16, 16a are disposed which emit two light beams 17, 17a, (chain lines) directed respectively, on to two photoelectric cells 18, 18a, which are connected to a control device of the bobbin frame motor 20.

The light sources 17, 17a are directed to give parallel beams, and are inclined in relation to the axis of the storage device 5 in such a manner that they are not at any time parallel to any of the turns 4 FIG. 2).

When the lower part 19 of one of the turns 4 just intersects one of the light beams 17, 17a, it causes the actuation of one of the photoelectric cells 18, 18a, which sends a corresponding pulse to the control device of the motor 20.

The cell 18a corresponds to the beam 17a and causes an increase in the speed of the bobbin frame 14 and the cell 18 corresponding to the beam 17, causes a reduction in the speed of the bobbin frame 14.

In the case of the feed of wire following an assembly, constituted by a wire drawing machine, a heat-treatment plant and an extruder, it is necessary to eliminate the wire produced when making control adjustment; then a bobbin 15 is mounted on the bobbin frame 14, which is set into operation.

The speed of feed on the bobbin frame is controlled by means of the light beams 17, 17a and photocells 18, 180. If the feed speed is too slow, the length of wire stored on the storage device increases and the part 19 of the turns 4 intersects the light beam l7a, and the cell 18a being excited, transmits pulses to the control device (not shown) of the motor 16 of the bobbin frame, in order to increase its speed.

If, on the contrary, the speed of feed of the wire is too high, the length of wire stored on the storage device is reduced and the part 19 of the turns 4 intersects the beam 17; the cell 18 being excited, transmits pulses to the control device of the motor 20 of the bobbin frame in order to reduce its speed.

If the turns 4 lie between the beams 17, 17a the motor 20 operates at the normal velocity.

When the wire received has the desired characteristics the bobbin frame 14 is stopped and, as a result, the beams 17, 17a are interrupted.

The replacement of the bobbin 15 is then carried out and when the bobbin frame is restarted the light beams 17, 17a are reestablished in order to effect the automatic control of the speed of the bobbin frame.

There has been described herein one embodiment of a device for the detection of the position of turns of wire on a storage device, but it is quite evident that any other embodiment could be used for the same purpose.

I claim:

1. In a device for feeding an elongate element on to a bobbin:

rotary tensioning means for applying tension to the elongate element;

rotary storage means mounted with the axis of rotation thereof common with that of the tensioning means, said axis being inclined to the horizontal;

a controllable brake disposed to receive the elongate element from the storage means;

a bobbin frame arranged to carry a bobbin which is disposed to receive the elongate element from the brake;

a motor coupled to drive the bobbin frame;

motor control means; and

detection means disposed to sense the position of the elongate element on the storage means and to control the motor speed in relation to said position.

2. A device according to claim 1, comprising an antiballooning device disposed between the storage means and the brake.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said storage means includes:

a cylinder having a frustoconical free end portion; and

the tensioning device includes:

a capstan rigid with said cylinder;

means includes:

a pair of light sources; and

a pair of photoelectric cells disposed in alignment with the beam produced by a respective said light source;

said sources being so disposed that the beams thereof are always inclined to turns of said elongate element on the storage means and at least one of said beams can be interrupted by said elongate-element when the latter is in a predetermined position on the storage means.

5. A device for feeding wire on to a bobbin, comprising:

a rotary wire tensioning means including a capstan;

a storage cylinder fast for rotation with the capstan, the rotational axis being inclined from the receiving end for the wire to the downstream end, said cylinder having:

a frustoconical end portion with the larger diameter end downstream of the smaller diameter part thereof; and a motor coupled to drive the capstan and cylinder;

an antiballooning; device mounted to surround at least partially the frustoconical portion of the cylinder;

a brake downstream of the ballooning device,

a bobbin frame downstream of the brake and having a drive motor;

two light sources'directed to produce light beams transversely of the cylinder;

two photoelectric cells arranged to receive respective said light beams; and

control means for the bobbin frame motor connected to the photocells and arranged to vary the speed of the motor whenever one of the light beams is interrupted by a turn of the wire at a predetermined position on the storage means. 

1. In a device for feeding an elongate element on to a bobbin: rotary tensioning means for applying tension to the elongate element; rotary storage means mounted with the axis of rotation thereof common with that of the tensioning means, said axis being inclined to the horizontal; a controllable brake disposed to receive the elongate element from the storage means; a bobbin frame arranged to carry a bobbin which is disposed to receive the elongate element from the brake; a motor coupled to drive the bobbin frame; motor control means; and detection means disposed to sense the position of the elongate element on the storage means and to control the motor speed in relation to said position.
 2. A device according to claim 1, comprising an antiballooning device disposed between the storage means and the brake.
 3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said storage means includes: a cylinder having a frustoconical free end portion; and the tensioning device includes: a capstan rigid with said cylinder; said end portion of the cylinder having its larger diameter remote from the capstan.
 4. A device according to claim 1, wherein said detection means includes: a pair of light sources; and a pair of photoelectric cells disposed in alignment with the beam produced by a respective said light source; said sources being so disposed that the beams thereof are always inclined to turns of said elongate element on the storage means and at least one of said beams can be interrupted by said elongate element when the latter is in a predetermined position on the storage means.
 5. A device for feeding wire on to a bobbin, comprising: a rotary wire tensioning means including a capstan; a storage cylinder fast for rotation with the capstan, the rotational axis being inclined from the receiving end for the wire to the downstream end, said cylinder having: a frustoconical end portion with the larger diameter end downstream of the smaller diameter part thereof; and a motor coupled to drive the capstan and cylinder; an antiballooning device mounted to surround at least partially the frustoconical portion of the cylinder; a brake downstream of the ballooning device, a bobbin frame downstream of the brake and having a drive motor; two light sources directed to produce light beams transversely of the cylinder; two photoelectric cells arranged to receive respective said light beams; and control means for the bobbin frame motor connected to the photocells and arranged to vary the speed of the motor whenever one of the light beams is interrupted by a turn of the wire at a pRedetermined position on the storage means. 